- Joined
- Mar 17, 2002
- Messages
- 1,752
I've had the Spyderco HomeMaker for a few years now and have had wonderful service out of it. As a Spyderco nut I was a little hesitant to toss a hundred plus at a kitchen knife that didn't have "the bug" on the blade but nevertheless I pulled the trigger on a Shun Santoku 7 incher. Wow, what a blade! Yikes!
A few years ago when I scored my HomeMaker I couldn't have been more pleased. Pure performance for a little over sixty bucks. Even cut myself (quite badly too). I was impressed with the Spyderco sharpness and quality, the stabilized wood handle, the granton grooves and the Santoku blade profile that allows one to pick up diced foods with the side of the blade to dump over into the cooking pot. Spyderco's laser-like sharpness helped me fall in love with the knife also. Thin blade makes for razor like potential.
Fast forward to a month or so ago when I ordered the Shun. Zowie! It's everything the HomeMaker is and much more. Yes, it's 114 bucks (roughly twice as much as the HomeMaker). But alas, can you even GET a HomeMaker these days? Spyderco has really allowed their kitchen line to languish in the background. Great products but not much marketing effort. This Shun has twice the blade thickness. It's got damascus sides with a VG-10 core. They claim that the "roughness" of this damascus helps food to fall away freely. Well, Spyderco claimed the granton grooves did the same thing and from what I can tell, both are equally ineffective. Food sticks to both of these knives. Good try however, not sure what the non-stickness factor on these knives is when compared to a smooth-sided blade, but that's another thread. How about factory sharpness? Wow. Hairpoppin'! The handle has a more rounded profile and has a steel butt that seems to balance the thing. It really comes alive in the hand. The handle is the same sort of stabilized wood as the HomeMaker uses, real dark, almost black in color. Provides a good grip when wet. Both knives are great in the "rocking" motion that chefs use when dicing or mincing.
Is the Shun worth almost twice as much as the HomeMaker (if you can even GET a HomeMaker anymore, that is)? Well, yeah. I think so. We're talking about a tool someone in your household will use every day for decades to come. So over the long haul it's actually a steal. Don't get me wrong, the HomeMaker is no slouch. Spyderco offered a real bargain in that knife. They simply dropped the ball (in my opinion) with regards to availability and marketing. The Shun and the HomeMaker sit side-by-side in my knife block. I reach for the Shun. A real pleasure to use.
I tried to attatch a photo of these two knives but for some reason it's not taking. I will try to post a photo down the thread a ways. A lot of folks may not have ever heard of a HomeMaker. And the photo I snapped was a side-by-side shot.
A few years ago when I scored my HomeMaker I couldn't have been more pleased. Pure performance for a little over sixty bucks. Even cut myself (quite badly too). I was impressed with the Spyderco sharpness and quality, the stabilized wood handle, the granton grooves and the Santoku blade profile that allows one to pick up diced foods with the side of the blade to dump over into the cooking pot. Spyderco's laser-like sharpness helped me fall in love with the knife also. Thin blade makes for razor like potential.
Fast forward to a month or so ago when I ordered the Shun. Zowie! It's everything the HomeMaker is and much more. Yes, it's 114 bucks (roughly twice as much as the HomeMaker). But alas, can you even GET a HomeMaker these days? Spyderco has really allowed their kitchen line to languish in the background. Great products but not much marketing effort. This Shun has twice the blade thickness. It's got damascus sides with a VG-10 core. They claim that the "roughness" of this damascus helps food to fall away freely. Well, Spyderco claimed the granton grooves did the same thing and from what I can tell, both are equally ineffective. Food sticks to both of these knives. Good try however, not sure what the non-stickness factor on these knives is when compared to a smooth-sided blade, but that's another thread. How about factory sharpness? Wow. Hairpoppin'! The handle has a more rounded profile and has a steel butt that seems to balance the thing. It really comes alive in the hand. The handle is the same sort of stabilized wood as the HomeMaker uses, real dark, almost black in color. Provides a good grip when wet. Both knives are great in the "rocking" motion that chefs use when dicing or mincing.
Is the Shun worth almost twice as much as the HomeMaker (if you can even GET a HomeMaker anymore, that is)? Well, yeah. I think so. We're talking about a tool someone in your household will use every day for decades to come. So over the long haul it's actually a steal. Don't get me wrong, the HomeMaker is no slouch. Spyderco offered a real bargain in that knife. They simply dropped the ball (in my opinion) with regards to availability and marketing. The Shun and the HomeMaker sit side-by-side in my knife block. I reach for the Shun. A real pleasure to use.
I tried to attatch a photo of these two knives but for some reason it's not taking. I will try to post a photo down the thread a ways. A lot of folks may not have ever heard of a HomeMaker. And the photo I snapped was a side-by-side shot.
